The present invention is related to unstructured data, and more specifically to analyzing and managing unstructured data.
Currently, with security becoming a major issue in all aspects of life, data security within companies and other enterprises is also becoming more and more important. Some data may be secure and exist in a secure environment, but then become non-secure if it is moved or copied, etc. by an individual. Unstructured data may be company owned sensitive data which has been copied, stored or moved by a person to a state where security controls could be lacking. This unstructured data may be contained on physical or digital media. Industry research shows that unstructured data is rising. With the rise in unstructured data, companies are searching for better ways to protect their employees, customers, and shareholder information. Further, there is potential risk to a company when confidential data is moved to an unstructured data environment where appropriate controls are not in place to safeguard the information in the event of loss or theft. Companies have a strong interest in preventing confidential unstructured data from leaking outside of the company without knowing where the leak came from. Access to confidential information by an unauthorized person or party may trigger a privacy event which may negatively impact the company in many different ways, e.g., regulatory compliance, land erosion, identity theft, etc.